At Earl Haig Secondary School, we are introduced to the world of computer science and networking from grade 10. Aside from exposure at school, many members of our team also had outside connections to the field of cybersecurity and computer science through personal projects, clubs, and other extra-curricular activities. Our team was created in 2016 consisting of the six members; Andre, Aranya, James, Michael, Rishabh, and Shayan. Our coach, Dr. Noukhovitch, recruited three students from the Grade 10 computer science class and three students from the Grade 11 Computer Engineering / Networking class to join the team. We all showed great interest in learning more than just what we were taught in-class regarding cybersecurity and found the competition was a perfect means to do so. CyberPatriot IX (2016 – 2017) was our school’s first and as a result, it was more of a learning experience for us. Much of the knowledge gained during that first year was applied to CyberPatriot X (2017 – 2018) which allowed us to land in a higher tier and gain even more knowledge which we will pass onto the upcoming senior and junior CyberPatriot teams. As we progressed, the team’s interest grew as the stakes increased, making the competition an amazing experience to hone in on our interests. Although we did not progress to the finals in Baltimore, we were more motivated than ever. This year, we focused on competing and enhancing our competition skills. So far, this competition has been an enriching experience and we as a team hope to influence younger students to pursue their interests in cybersecurity. We hope to implement skills we’ve acquired in further education and pass on the passion we have to our peers.
